Guinness All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship final: Cork 0-13 Kilkenny 0-12
AT the finish, Kilkenny looked as if they had been ambushed.
On this day of scrappy, low-scoring hurling, a four point lead with 16 minutes left seemed enough to ensure the Cats their 26th All-Ireland.
But at the death, it was Cork deliriously celebrating their 28th senior crown and their first since 1990.
After the summer of champagne hurling, this contest was of the cheap plonk variety.
For sure, the rain made conditions difficult but that couldn’t excuse some of the appalling shooting during the 70 minutes.
The skies opened seconds before referee Pat O’Connor’s first whistle and, perhaps, contributed to a day when the backs were to receive the bulk of the plaudits.
Cork’s most famous player Brian Corcoran delivered to an extent to which he surely could only have dreamed of.
Rarely can a match have failed so spectacularly to live up to its billing.
Maybe we were spoiled with too many intoxicating hurling matches this summer, but the unfavourable conditions couldn’t really account for a massive 34 wides and only 25 scores.
The return of traditional hurling to All-Ireland final day proved a big disappointment but through the rain and the errors the determination of a young Cork team stood out.
Kilkenny: J McGarry, P Larkin, C Brennan, W O’Connor, M Kavanagh, P O’Neill, P Barry, A Comerford (0-2), D Byrne (0-1), DJ Carey, J Power (0-1), B McEvoy (0-1), K O’Shea, H Shefflin (0-5), C Carter (0-2)
Subs: PJ Delaney and N Moloney for Power and McEvoy (65 mins).
Cork: D Og Cusack, F Ryan, D O’Sullivan, J Browne, W Sherlock, B Corcoran, S Og O hAilpin, M Landers (0-1), M O’Connell, T McCarthy (0-3), F McCormack, S McGrath (0-3), B O’Connor (0-1), N Ronan, J Deane (0-3)
Subs: A Browne (0-1) for Ronan (half-time), K Murray (0-1) for Landers (51 mins).
Referee: P O’Connor (Limerick).
ooooooooooooOOOOOoooooooooooo
BELFAST welterweight Gerard McAuley got Ireland off to a flying start at the European Junior Championships in Croatia at
the weekend.
And Dublin feather Francis Maughan kept the Irish flag flying high with an inside-the-distance win in his opening bout at the Rijeka event.
McAuley, from the Star ABC in north Belfast, moved into the next Euro series with a 4-3 victory over Swiss welter Christian Morini.
Teenager Maughan, from the CIE club, was always in control against Poland’s Sebastian Pavalovski and forced the referee to intervene midway through the fourth round.
But Irish medal hopes took a severe knock in yesterday’s Euro series in the Rijeka Sports Hall when three Irish lads lost their way.
Flyweight Kevin Butler lost 5-14 to Constantin Stan (Romania) while light welter Ciaran Smithers was down in the second round before losing out to world-rated Moldovan Serghei Gurande.
“The other Irish boxer, Gavin Browne, was hindered greatly by the fact that two rings were in operation at the tournament.
Gavin’s contest began before Kevin Butler’s had ended and it posed problems for the coaches,’’ revealed team doctor Sean Donnelly (Belfast).
Browne eventually went out of the competition on a 10-7 scoreline to Toumasyan Harvypon (Armenia).
